#Readathon October 2013: Getting ready

It's that time of year again. When I get to devote an entire weekend, more or less, to just reading. This is the fifth time I'll be participating, and I love the preparation for it almost as much as I love the luxury of just getting to read and read and read.

Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-thon looks to have at least 400 bloggers signed up this year, so I'll be in good company. Thanks to a tip from Jenn Lawrence, a veteran of the Read-a-thons, I have read the first chapter or two of every book I was considering for my list, to make sure that they'll hold my interest.

The books I'm planning to read:

This month's pick for Vaginal Fantasy Hangout, and a book that's been on my TBR list for quite some time, because I love Carey's Kushiel books so much, and I'm a huge fan of all things paranormal/urban fantasy. That this book fits into several of my current reading challenges doesn't hurt either. I figured I'd start with this one.

My husband is a HUGE Doctor Who fan. He literally cried with joy because now there are nine more episodes in the world that he has yet to see of the show. Neil Perriman, though, is a bigger fan, and he had his wife Sue, who'd never watched any of the classic series (the show made before 2005), sit down with him and watch EVERY single episode. He also blogged about it, and some of those experiences, as well as a lot of other stuff relating to his fandom (if I'm to be believed) is contained in this book, which I was delighted to be granted an ARC of from NetGalley. I've already read three chapters, and laughed out loud several times, so I'm really looking forward to this one. I won't be reviewing it on the blog until November, as it's not released until November 7th.

Variety is the spice of life, isn't that what they say? I'm trying to make sure I don't get sick of a particular genre while I'm reading tomorrow, and have tried to put together a varied list. Having enjoyed Linden's The Truth About the Duke trilogy (all reviewed on the blog earlier this year), I got this when it came out in July, and then promptly forgot about it, probably because I was really busy trying to "win" to 104 on Cannonball, and then because there are so many other books out there, crying out to be read. Romance tends to be light, frothy and easy to read, and so this goes on my reading list now.

I was actually granted an ARC of this book when it came out in 2012, and it was glowingly reviewed by The Book Smugglers. Too much got in the way of my reading the book, though, so it languished on my TBR shelf. With death being one of the monthly keywords for October, and me just having bought this as an e-book on sale, it seemed like a sign that I really need to get it off my TBR list.

There are times when a girl has to be moving around (possibly going out for some air, or just taking a break from staring at the page, or e-reader screen). Those times call for an audio book. Because I really enjoyed listening to James Marsters narrate the previous Dresden Files instalment, I got this from Audible and loaded it onto my Ipod. As the whole book is 13 hours long, I doubt I'll get through all of it, but it'll feel as if I'm really utilising every minute of my Read-a-thon if I listen to a book even when I can't sit, lounge or lie and read.

Graphic novels and comic books are great for when you're getting tired, or just want to make sure you really hit a good page count. My husband got this one for his birthday, I've been wanting to check it out for a while, and as weapon is another keyword for October, it all works out just perfectly.

My husband gave me this book for Christmas in 2006. We weren't even married yet at that point. I still haven't read it. That's how long it's been on my TBR shelf. I'm not going to lie, I feel bad about it, but for some reason, I've just never got round to picking it up. So I'm determined, that no matter what happens, this is going to be one of the books I read tomorrow.







Books are essential, but so are snacks. So far I've made little pizza rolls (which got cooked a tad too long in the oven, because I forgot to set a timer, but still look delicious). I'm also going to make ham, cheese and scallion muffins and chocolate chip cookies to have enough to nibble on. The fridge is stocked with Coke Zero, and I'm sending the husband to the shop for an assortment of fruit. I think it's going to be a good day for reading.